Parent Info

You May Think
It's Okay To Say
'It's okay to drink
just don't drive.'

Sharing values and family history regarding alcohol will create an environment of trust and understanding.

If parents drink, they should:

*Be clear that they do not want their children to drink alcohol until they are 21 years old and then only in moderation.

*Tell their children that some people should not drink alcoholic beverages at all. These include:

-children and adolescents

-individuals of any age who have a problem restricting their drinking to moderate levels

-women who are pregnant

-people who plan to drive or take part in activities that require attention of skill

-people using prescription and over-the-counter medications

If parents don’t drink, they should:

-explain their reasons for not drinking, whether they are religious, health-related or due to family history

-encourage children to talk about concerns and questions about drinking

-be clear that they do not want their children to drink

-explain that when the children are 21, if they should decide to drink, they should do so in moderation

Start Talking Before
They Start Drinking

Text Box: Explain the risks - Learn and explain the risks of underage drinking. Emphasize that drinking alcohol is not a “rite of passage” but a dangerous drug for a teen brain. Talk early & often - Some youths binge drink in the sixth grade, and few may start even earlier. Set clear rules - About no alcohol use, be specific. “Absolutely no underage drinking in our family.” Know your children’s friends - Get to know your children’s friends and their parents. Help them choose friends who support your family rules. Monitor your children’s activities - Always know where your children are, whom they are with and what they are doing. Make alcohol unavailable - Ensure that alcohol is not available to your child at home or from others when your child is away. Be involved - Develop close bonding experiences and have daily positive interactions with your child. Stay in contact - Studies show children are more likely to drink between the hours of 3-6 pm, when unsupervised by parents. Give your kids a call.

What YOU can do to
help your children to
remain alcohol free.

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Parents...

You may view underage drinking as inevitable, but it isn’t. What you may not realize is that children say parental disapproval of underage drinking is the key reason they have chosen not to drink. Child and parent bonding is critical to the process of teenagers emerging healthy, safe and alcohol-free. If your family has a history of alcoholism, your children need to know that they are at a greater risk for problem drinking.

Alcohol affects a teen brain differently from an adult brain. It can actually cause serious damage to the still-developing brain (10-21 years). Though now it has been revealed that the brain does not stop developing until age 24 or 25. Children who begin drinking at age 13 have a 45% chance of becoming alcohol dependent whereas a person who starts drinking at the legal age of 21 has only a 7% chance of becoming addicted.

Binge drinking now begins as early as elementary school, and parents are often unaware of their child’s use of alcohol. In fact, a national survey found 31% of kids who said they had been drunk in the past year had parents who believed their children to be non-drinkers. Most parents talk to their kids about drinking two years too late. AGE 8 IS NOT TOO EARLY!